Another Day in Miami
by Josu
Summary: Several one shots centered around Horatio and Kyle.
1. Chapter 1

This is my series of one shot's taking a look at what it might have been like for Horatio and Kyle if they had been together all along or at least from the time Julia gave him up. Some stories will have Julia in them and some won't.

Also I desperately need a beta so if anyone is interested let me know. Thanks.

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI Miami

* * *

Horatio sat down at his desk with a stack of papers to go through from the latest case when the phone rang, "Lieutenant Caine." He continued to shuffle through the paperwork as he waited for whoever was calling to state their business.

"Lieutenant Caine. This is Holly Bennerfield calling from Benjamin Franklin Elementary School." Horatio stopped looking at the paperwork in front of him and gave his attention to the woman on the other line.

"Yes, Miss Bennerfield is something wrong?"

"I have your son Kyle with me here in the nurse's office, he says he's not feeling well and he does have a slight temperature."

Horatio looked at the stack of paperwork sitting on his desk that he still needed to go through and he thought about the lead his team was working on to track down their most recent suspect. "I'll be there in ten minutes, ma'am." He sighed as he hung up the phone, and then quickly dialed Eric's extension.

"Delko."

Horatio thought briefly on what he needed Eric to do before he answered, "Eric, I need to go pick up Kyle from school. I need you to run some finger prints for me that I'm hoping will match up and lead us in the direction of are killer."

"Sure. Is everything alright with Kyle?" Horatio appreciated the concern he heard from Eric, it meant a lot that his team understood that he was not only their Lieutenant but also a single father of a 10yr old.

"Yes, just a little under the weather today." Horatio gathered the information that he needed Eric to run for him, "I'll be down in a few minutes." He hung up the phone, turned his office light off and headed for the elevators.

Horatio returned from picking Kyle up and led the quiet boy into his office, he flipped on the lights and set the child's book bag against his desk. "Take a seat on the couch, Kyle." He motioned for Kyle to take a seat on the couch sitting behind his desk. The child had only spoken a few words since Horatio had picked him up and he knew that was a clear sign that his boy wasn't feeling well.

He opened the drawer of his desk and pulled out the children's Tylenol and dumped a few into his palm, he then reached into Kyle's book bag and pulled out the juice he had sent with the young man that morning.

"Here, take these."

Kyle slid closer to his dad, took the pills from him and then swallowed them with the juice.

"Your stomach's not bothering you, right?" He had asked earlier but he just wanted to make sure.

Tired eyes met Horatio's as the young boy shook his head no at his father's question.

"I'll be right back." Horatio left his office and returned several minutes later with a blanket in hand. He grabbed the pillow that was already on the couch and patted it gently, "Lay down, Kyle."

"Okay." The blond haired boy whispered as he lay down on the couch.

Horatio bent down and removed the younger boy's shoes and then laid the blanket over Kyle. He laid a hand gently on his son's warm forehead causing the boy to smile slightly. "Thanks, Dad." He whispered before closing his eyes.

Horatio smiled, "Get some sleep, Kyle."

Horatio had been working at his desk with Kyle sleeping soundly behind when his office phone rang, "Lieutenant Caine." He spoke softly trying not to wake the young boy behind him.

"It's Delko. We've got a hit on the fingerprints you had me run. We're ready to leave when you are."

"Thank you, Eric." Horatio paused when he realized he couldn't just leave Kyle unattended even if the boy was sleeping.

Hearing the hesitation in Horatio's voice, Eric spoke up. "Alexx has offered to sit with Kyle while were gone."

"Very good. I'll be right down." Horatio grabbed his sunglasses off the desk and turned around to make sure Kyle was still sleeping.

He turned towards the doorway when he heard a knock, "Horatio." Alexx called as she entered the Lieutenants office.

"Thanks Alexx, I really appreciate this."

"Kyle is such a sweet child, Horatio." Alexx laid a hand on Horatio's arm, "You know we'd do anything to help you with him."

Horatio put his sunglasses on, "I do."

---------------

Horatio, Delko and several other officers climbed the stairs of the apartment building and stopped in front of apartment D7.

Horatio knocked on the door. "Miami Dade police, we know you're in there Jackson." Before Horatio could continue there was the sound of a shotgun being cocked, "Move!" He yelled at Eric and the other officers standing next to him as they jumped out of the way, a second later there was a loud bang and then the door to the apartment exploded into tiny shards of wood.

They heard the shotgun being dropped to the floor and running feet inside the apartment, "The fire escape." Eric yelled at several of the officers as he kicked in what was left of the door.

As Horatio and Eric entered the apartment they were met with the sounds of braking glass, they ran towards the kitchen with guns drawn just as the suspect slipped out the window and onto the fire escape.

"Come on." Horatio yelled towards Eric as they ran out of the apartment and back down the stairs, just as they entered the street they heard several shots. They rounded the corner to find the suspect laying on the ground, one officer kneeling on his back while another cuffed him.

"Another case closed. It feels pretty good." Eric said to Horatio as the two stared at each other, both breathing heavily from their run down the stairs.

Horatio looked towards the suspect as he was led to the back of the waiting police car. "Yes it does, Eric. Yes, it does."

----------------

When Horatio returned to his office he thanked Alexx again for sitting with Kyle and then took a seat on the edge of the couch. He ran a hand lovingly through the child's short hair; blue eyes opened and met his. "Where did you go?" Kyle hoarsely whispered.

Horatio made a mental note to stop at the drugstore on the way home as he could clearly hear how poorly his little boy was feeling.

"I thought you were sleeping." Horatio raised an eyebrow as the corner of his mouth tilted up into a slight smile.

Kyle shrugged. "I heard Alexx talking to someone."

Horatio nodded. "I was out apprehending a suspect."

Kyle smiled as he laid his head down on the pillow. "You mean you were out saving the people of Miami, again."

Horatio stared at his son for a moment, thinking how lucky he was to have such a great son. "Something like that, kiddo."

* * *

Please leave a review.

If you have any suggestions for further one shots, anything that you would like to see, let me know. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own anything CSI Miami

One of my favorite Horatio lines……..

If those scratches are from my son,

and anything has happened to him,

I will come back to this room,

and you will leave it in a bag.

-Horatio Caine-

Here's a Christmas story that's just a little late in coming. Enjoy!!

* * *

The red haired man groaned as he rolled over to shut the alarm clock off. He flipped the switch to turn off the alarm and then reached over to turn the lamp on. He squinted as the bright light lit up the bedroom around him. He slid his legs to the side of the bed and slipped his feet into his slippers before standing up. His jaw cracked as he yawned and stretched his arms towards the ceiling, he groaned again before reaching for the door handle and opening the bedroom door so he could step out into the hallway.

He smiled as he walked passed Kyle's bedroom and the darkness that was filtering out underneath the closed door. The 12 year old had been on Christmas break for a week now and was definitely enjoying the sleeping in part of it. He walked into the kitchen and started the coffee pot and then turned towards the front door for the newspaper. As he passed the living room the lights from the Christmas tree flashed on and off lighting up the many Christmas presents below. He opened the front door, grabbed the newspaper and went back to the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee.

He sat at the table with his cup of coffee and flipped open the newspaper; he stared at the date at the top of the page, December 24th. He had told Kyle that he would try and end his day early since it was Christmas Eve so they could spend the evening together. They had been working on a murder case for the last couple of days and should be wrapping up any lose ends that day.

After scanning the basketball scores from the night before he drank the last of his coffee, laid the paper on the table and then went back down the hallway to take a shower. He returned 20minutes later dressed in black suit pants and white dress shirt.

"Kyle." He knocked on the young man's door on his way back to the kitchen. "Breakfast in 10."

Kyle yanked the blanket off his face and looked towards the clock on his nightstand seeing that it was almost 7:00. "Mmm." He groaned and then threw the blanket off himself as he crawled out of bed and stumbled towards the bedroom door.

"I told you not to stay up too late last night." Horatio smiled as Kyle took a seat at the table and he sat a plate of bacon and eggs in front of his young son.

"It was only midnight, Dad."

Horatio raised an eyebrow at the blonde.

Kyle huffed and looked down towards his plate, "Ok, so more like 1:00."

Horatio grunted his disapproval and then nodded his head towards Kyle's plate. "You need to hurry up and eat so we can get to the station."

"Am I working with Alexx today?" The almost teenager asked with excitement.

Horatio snorted. "Yes, you'll be helping her file some of that paperwork she's got stacked on her desk."

Kyle's face lit up with a mischievous grin, "That should be fun."

Horatio's eyebrows shot up, "You're looking forward to filing all morning?"

Kyle shrugged. "Wherever I can be of assistance."

Horatio smiled and then cleared his throat. "Maybe you'd rather hang out with Eric today. I'm sure it would be a little more exciting."

Kyle's eyes grew wide and he shouted, "No!" Watching his father jump back slightly at the loud outburst, he quickly recovered. "I mean Alexx really needs my help with that filing, I wouldn't want to let her down."

Horatio leaned back in his chair. "I'll be back to the office by lunch time and then we can head out and spend Christmas Eve however you want, kiddo."

A grin lit up Kyle's face. "With you, Dad."

"That's it?"

"Maybe we could see a movie." Kyle shrugged. "It doesn't matter." Kyle stared into Horatio's eyes, "As long as we do it together."

Horatio coughed to hide the moisture in his eyes and nodded towards Kyle's plate. "If you're done eating why don't you go ahead and get changed so we can leave."

Kyle grinned. "Okay, be back in 10."

Horatio cringed as Kyle jumped out of his chair and dashed down the hallway, the door to the bathroom slamming shut behind him.

Horatio stood and then grabbed Kyle's empty plate and took it to the sink, "I am one lucky, lucky father." He whispered before heading down the hallway to finish getting ready himself.

They pulled up to the Crime Lab 30minutes later.

Kyle jumped out of the car and raced passed Horatio, "I'll be in the lab, Dad."

Horatio waved and watched the young man enter through the glass doors and disappear towards the elevator.

"What's he in such an all fired hurry for?"

Horatio turned around to see Frank walking up behind him.

"As far as I know he's just going to be helping Alexx with some filing today."

Frank stopped and stared at Horatio before shaking his head, "And he's that excited?"

Horatio chuckled as the two men walked into the building. "Well, Alexx might have mentioned to me that she was going to take Kyle Christmas shopping this morning so he could pick out a present for me."

"That explains why he's so excited."

"Yes, it does." Horatio reached over and slapped Frank on the shoulder. "Now let's wrap up this case so I can spend the rest of Christmas Eve with my son."

An hour later Frank knocked on Horatio's office door.

"Are we ready, Frank?"

Frank nodded. "We've confirmed reports of the Jones gang doing business out of an empty warehouse on Flagler St."

"You going to let Kyle know we're leaving?" Frank asked as Horatio walked passed him towards the elevator.

Horatio hit the down button for the elevator. "No need." He grinned towards Frank. "Alexx and Kyle left about 30minutes ago to pick up my gift."

Frank crossed his arms, "Did you ask her where they were going?"

Horatio smiled and nodded his head. "I tried, Frank." The elevator opened to their floor and both men stepped inside. "But you know Alexx, that secret is safe with her."

Frank laughed as the elevator doors closed.

"Do we have backup waiting for us, Frank?" Horatio asked as both men stepped off the elevator a minute later.

Frank pushed the glass door open as they walked outside, "They're ready and waiting."

"Good." Horatio reached over to his pocket and put on his sunglasses. "Let's go get our man."

---

Alexx put a hand on Kyle's shoulder as they walked out of the jeweler's store, "Your dad's really going to like that gift, Kyle."

Kyle grinned up at Alexx. "I hope so, it wasn't cheap."

Alexx laughed. "How long have you been saving up your allowance?"

Kyle shrugged. "A couple of months I guess."

Alexx was interrupted before she could say anything else by gunshots ringing out from the building on the corner. She grabbed Kyle and hid behind a vehicle until the shooting had stopped.

"What's going on?" Kyle yelled out as he tried to peak around the back of the SUV they were hiding behind.

Alexx watched as several uniformed officers streamed out of the building. She couldn't really hear everything they were saying but she did catch a few words.

_Paramedic and officer down._

The next person walking out of the building had Alexx's blood running cold. "Frank?" She whispered forgetting that Kyle was standing next to her.

Kyle pushed passed Alexx and saw his father's friend standing on the sidewalk at the end of the street, the older man was yelling at the paramedics that had just pulled up.

Alexx grabbed onto Kyle's arm, there was a crowd gathering on the sidewalk now and she didn't want to lose him.

Kyle shook his head and then turned his gaze towards Alexx. "No, it can't be Alexx."

Alexx rubbed a hand up and down Kyle's arm. "We don't know anything yet, Honey." She bent down to whisper into Kyle's ear, "It could be anyone, Kyle."

But her worst fears were confirmed a moment later when the paramedics came rushing back out of the building, pushing a man with red hair she would recognize anywhere towards the ambulance.

"Dad!" Kyle screamed as he jerked his arm out of Alexx's grip and dodged through the crowd towards the ambulance.

Alexx screamed for Kyle, but it was no use as she tried to push her way through the crowd. She watched as Frank grabbed the young man before he could get too close to the ambulance.

Kyle punched Frank in the chest, "Let me go, Frank."

Frank shook Kyle gently to get his attention. "Stop it, Kyle." Frank and Kyle's eyes met, "Relax." Frank said just as Alexx caught up to them.

A tear slid down Kyle's cheek, he brushed it away angrily. "How bad is it?" His young eyes burned into the older man's as he waited for an answer.

Frank knelt down in front of Kyle and placed a hand on each of Kyle's shoulder's, he glanced towards Alexx before explaining. "He was wearing a vest, but the bullet caught him in the shoulder where the vest wasn't covering, Kyle."

Kyle looked away, his bottom lip quivering as he clutched the box that his father's Christmas present was sitting in tightly to his chest.

Alexx laid a hand on Kyle's shoulder turning the blonde towards her. "Kyle, how about we go to the hospital and wait for some news on your father?"

Kyle just nodded as he clutched the package tighter.

"I'll see you at the hospital when I get finished here." Frank said and then watched the two walk away.

Two hours later found Kyle, Alexx, Frank and Eric sitting in the waiting room.

Frank stood up and started pacing around the room, "It's been two hours. How long until we get some information?"

Just then a middle aged doctor came over to them, a tired look on his face. "Family of Horatio Caine?"

He smiled when four people responded, "That's us."

He reached out and shook Frank's hand. "I'm Doctor Alexander. Mr Caine's surgeon."

Frank nodded as he shook the doctor's hand. "How's Horatio?"

"We were able to go in and effectively remove the bullet from his right shoulder. There was minimal damage and he should make a full recovery."

"When can we see him?" The Doctor looked down at the young child in front of him, a child that looked like the spitting image of the man he had been working on for the past few hours.

Doctor Alexander smiled at Kyle. "Your dad's being moved into a private room right now. We're going to keep him overnight for observation, but you should be able to see him in just a few minutes."

The doctor excused himself and a few minutes later a nurse was leading the small group down the white hospital hallway towards Horatio's room.

The group entered together and stood by the bed as the nurse checked Horatio's chart once more. "He'll probably sleep for a little while longer." She said before turning around and leaving the room.

Frank looked from Kyle to Eric. "Why don't you take Kyle down to the cafeteria and get him some lunch."

Kyle shook his head, "I'm not leaving."

Alexx knelt down next to the young man. "Kyle, you haven't eaten since breakfast and it's well past lunch." She sighed when Kyle shook his head again. "The nurse said your dad's going to be sleeping for a little while yet. I promise if he wakes up while you're gone I'll come get you. Ok?"

Kyle stared into her eyes for a moment, before whispering. "Promise?"

Alexx smiled before leaning over and giving Kyle a kiss on the head. "Of course, I promise. Do you want me to take your father's present and leave it by his bed?"

Kyle looked down and then shook his head, "No. I'll keep it." He clutched the package tighter before following Eric out the door.

Alexx and Frank's attention was brought back to the figure lying in the bed when he started to move around and groan.

"Horatio?" Alexx moved to the side of the bed and laid a hand gently on Horatio's arm.

Horatio opened his eyes and looked at Frank and Alexx. "Did Kyle go downstairs with Eric?"

Frank smiled. "You were awake that whole time?"

Horatio nodded and then groaned as he tried to push himself up in bed with his good arm. Alexx grabbed one of the pillows and fluffed it slightly, "Lean forward just a little." She said then put the pillow behind Horatio's back.

He leaned back and gave Alexx an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Alexx."

He laid a hand on his shoulder where he could feel the bandaging and the sling that was keeping that arm immobile.

"Did we get our man, Frank?"

Frank nodded. "Yeah, Horatio. He's in custody."

"Good." He accepted a glass of water from Alexx, he sipped at it slowly before putting it on the stand by the bed. "Thanks."

"Can one of you call Yelina for me and see if she can take Kyle tonight?"

"I'll do that for you, Horatio." Alexx said and then glanced towards Frank.

Frank looked at Alexx and then back to Horatio, "There's something else though, Horatio."

"What is it?" Horatio asked somewhat hesitantly as he waited for Frank to answer.

Alexx cleared her throat. "Kyle and I were shopping just down the street from where you were shot."

"Is he alright?" Horatio glanced towards Frank.

Frank quickly reassured his friend. "Yeah, of course."

Frank shifted uneasily from foot to foot, "He saw you get put into the ambulance and he's pretty shaken up." Frank rubbed the spot where Kyle had punched him earlier, "I don't think he'll go home without a fight."

Horatio gave his friend a strange look. "Let me take care of that."

Alexx smiled but quickly covered her mouth with her hand, and then excused herself. " I told Kyle I would come and get him when you were awake."

Alexx turned and left the two men to discuss information about the case they had been working on, as she passed the nurses desk she informed them that Horatio was awake before making her way to the cafeteria.

Twenty minutes later found Kyle standing next to his fathers bed shaking his head vigorously no. "I want to stay here with you."

"Kyle." Horatio laid a hand on Kyle's, "You can't stay here tonight." He raised a hand to keep Kyle from interrupting, "Aunt Yelina is on her way here and you'll spend the night with her and Ray Jr."

Kyle sniffed his eyes turning red, "It's Christmas Eve."

Horatio's own eyes started watering as he turned away from the hurt and sadness on Kyle's face. "I'm sorry, Kyle. We'll spend Christmas night together, alright?"

Kyle just nodded and looked towards the hospital room door as Yelina entered. "Hi, Alexx." She smiled at Alexx and nodded towards Frank.

She put an arm around Kyle's shoulders as she came to stand next to him. "Hi, Honey." She smiled down at him and then gave him a kiss on the head.

"Hey." Kyle mumbled towards his aunt.

Yelina turned a sympathetic smile towards Horatio. "And how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." He winced slightly as a pain shot through his shoulder. "Almost."

He looked at Kyle who was staring at the floor and then back towards Yelina. "I should be out of here tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay." She shook Kyle's shoulder to get him to look at her, "You ready to get out of here, kiddo?"

Kyle nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Ray's looking forward to you being there tonight." She turned a concerned glance towards Horatio when she got no response from Kyle.

"Kyle?"

Kyle glanced up towards his dad, "I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

Kyle gave his dad a smile before nodding his head. "Okay."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Horatio." Yelina said as she led Kyle out of the room. Horatio watched the door close behind them a sad expression on his face.

"He'll be fine, Horatio." Horatio turned towards Frank. "He's a tough kid."

"Yeah." Horatio mumbled, "He's a good kid."

"We're going to head back to the station, Horatio." Frank nodded to Alexx as he spoke, "You need anything before we go?"

"No." He put a fake smile on his face for the benefit of his coworkers. "Thank you for everything you both did today."

"Anytime, Horatio." Alexx leaned over and kissed Horatio on the cheek, "You call me if you need anything."

Horatio turned his attention to Frank.

Frank put his hands in the air, "I'm not giving you a kiss, but I will turn the tv on for you."

Horatio laughed. "Thanks, Frank."

"Have a good Christmas." Horatio whispered as his coworkers walked out the door to finish up their work at the station and head home to their families.

Horatio slid down on the bed to get comfortable as he watched the basketball game on the television. "This Christmas sucks." He whispered as he pushed the call button for the nurse, maybe they would give him enough pain medication to knock him out until the next day.

As soon as Kyle was sure that his aunt had went to bed he carefully and quietly snuck out of Ray's room. He tiptoed down the hallway and into the darkened kitchen where he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, picked up the telephone and dialed the number.

"247 Saunders Drive." He whispered into the phone, "Thank you." He hung up the phone, and then made his way to the front door where he put his shoes on and snuck outside to wait on the taxi.

The taxi pulled up to the hospital twenty minutes later, Kyle pulled what was left of his allowance out of his pocket and paid the driver. He walked through the automatic doors and went straight to the elevators, he knew it was past visiting hours and he quickly jumped into the elevator before he was seen by a nurse.

The elevator opened to his father's floor, he peaked around the corner and blew out a breath when he didn't see anyone at the nurse's station. "Like a Christmas miracle." He whispered as he walked quickly down the hall and slipped unnoticed into his father's room.

The door to his father's room had just closed behind him when a light flicked on next to the hospital bed, "Kyle?"

"Dad!" Kyle squeaked in surprise. He hadn't really expected his father to be awake, and now that he was faced with the angry looking man he wasn't sure what to do.

Horatio pushed himself up in the bed with his good arm, "Come over here and take a seat." He pointed towards the chair next to the bed.

Kyle slowly walked around the bed and took a seat in the chair.

"Does Yelina know where you are?"

Kyle looked down and then shook his head, "No, sir."

Horatio sighed and then reached over and grabbed the phone and dialed the familiar number. "Yelina, it's Horatio."

Horatio paused. "Yes, everything is fine." He glanced towards Kyle before continuing. "The reason I'm calling at such a late hour is because Kyle snuck out of your house and made his way to the hospital."

Another pause, Kyle could clearly hear her yelling in the background. "He's fine, Yelina."

Horatio nodded a few times. "Okay, I'll see you in the morning." There was more talking from the other end of the phone before Horatio could hang up. "Yes, I'll make sure to tell Kyle how much trouble he is in." He leveled a glare at Kyle whose eyebrows shot up in alarm.

"Alright, Goodbye." Horatio hung up the phone and then stared at Kyle for a moment. "How did you get here?"

"Taxi."

Horatio's eyebrow's shot up this time. "Taxi?" He sighed. "We will have a very long conversation tomorrow about how dangerous that can be."

Kyle nodded. "Is Aunt Yelina mad?"

Horatio snickered. "Yes and worried. Trust me, you will hear all about it tomorrow." Horatio stared at the young man in front of him and then looked at the door to the room. The night nurse hadn't been in the past few hours, not since he had gotten his last pain medication and he still wasn't due for more for at least a couple of hours.

"You'll stay hear tonight, Kyle."

Kyle smiled and then it dropped slightly. "Won't they be mad?"

Horatio laughed. "To find that a 12 year old snuck past them in the middle of the night, maybe. But I doubt they'll kick you out."

Kyle yawned which caused Horatio to look at the clock in the room. He slid over on the bed to make room and then patted the empty space, "Why don't you climb up here and get some sleep, kiddo."

"Dad." The embarrassment was clearly heard by Horatio.

Horatio rolled his eyes. "It's either here next to me or in the incredibly uncomfortable chair all night."

Kyle seemed to debate his options for several seconds.

"Fine." Kyle kicked off his shoes and sat on the bed next to Horatio.

"Grab that blanket at the foot of the bed and cover up with it, it get's kind of chilly in here."

Kyle did as Horatio said and turned onto his side, "Ouch."

"What?" Horatio asked wondering what he could have hurt himself on in the bed.

Kyle reached down and pulled his dad's Christmas present out of his pocket.

"What's that?"

Kyle handed the pocket watch to Horatio. "It's your Christmas present."

Horatio flipped it open and smiled at the inscription.

_To the world's best Dad_

_Love, Kyle._

_Christmas 2003._

Horatio closed the pocket watch and set it on the table and then put his good arm around Kyle pulling him close for a hug. "Thank you, Kyle." He placed a kiss on his son's head. "I love you too."

Kyle smiled as he lay on the bed next to his dad, the television playing reruns of 'A Christmas Story' as he felt his eyes start to close.

"I'm sorry we couldn't have spent this Christmas Eve at home." Horatio whispered.

Kyle laid his head on Horatio's shoulder. "I told you, Dad. It doesn't matter what we do as long as were together."

Horatio smiled and silently agreed with his young son. "Merry Christmas, Kyle."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI Miami

* * *

Seven year old Kyle slid out of the front seat of his father's vehicle, "Bye, Dad."

Horatio smiled at the enthusiastic little boy, it was show and tell day at school and the blonde haired boy was very excited. "Have fun. I'll see you after school."

Kyle slammed the door shut and Horatio watched him run up the steps of the school, meeting some friends at the top and then disappearing inside.

The kids quickly took their seats inside Mrs. Johnson's first grade class, "Good morning, Students!"

The kids replied with their usual, "Good Morning, Mrs. Johnson!"

Mrs. Johnson smiled and made her way around to stand in front of the chalkboard, "Can anyone tell me what day it is?"

Kyle raised his hand and Mrs. Johnson called on him, "Its show and tell day."

"That's right, Kyle." Mrs. Johnson smiled at the group of students in front of her, "Who wants to go first?"

Seventeen little hands went up in the air, "We'll go in order." Mrs. Johnson pointed to the little girl up front with brown hair, "Starting with Amy."

* * *

Eric walked into Horatio's office and watched silently as the Lieutenant searched through his desk drawers. "What are you looking for, H?"

Horatio laughed, "My sunglasses, Eric." He patted down his shirt pocket, "I've seemed to have misplaced them."

Eric walked in and placed some papers on Horatio's desk. "Did you leave them at home?"

Horatio sat still for a moment, thinking about Eric's question. "No. I remember grabbing them this morning." He raised his hand to stop Eric from asking, "And before you ask I already looked all over the car, no sunglasses anywhere."

Eric's face scrunched up in thought before he shrugged, "I don't know. You may have to buy another pair, H."

"I hope not, Eric. Those were my favorite pair."

* * *

"Kyle, it's your turn." Mrs. Johnson waved the young boy to the front of the class.

"And what do you have there, Kyle?" Mrs. Johnson asked as she eyed the object the blonde haired boy was carrying.

"These are very special sunglasses."

Mrs. Johnson smiled, "And what makes them so special?"

"When you put them on like this," Kyle placed the much too big glasses on his face, immediately pushing them back up when they slid down his nose. "Everybody listens to you."

"I see." Mrs. Johnson placed a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. "And whose glasses are those?"

"My dad's." Kyle looked towards his classmates, "Lieutenant Horatio Caine." He looked back towards Mrs. Johnson, "He's a police officer and he protects Miami from the bad people."

Mrs. Johnson nodded in understanding, and her smiled grew as Kyle continued.

"And sometimes when my dad wears these sunglasses he stands like this." Kyle put both his hands on his hips and stared at Mrs. Johnson. "And sometimes he says things like….." Kyle cleared his voice and then in a much lower voice continued, "Let's get our man, Eric."

"Eric's my dad's friend and he's a police officer too." Kyle explained to the class.

"And your dad does all that while wearing those sunglasses?" Mrs. Johnson asked, she would have to ask Lieutenant Caine about that at the next parent teacher conference.

"Yes, ma'am." Kyle removed the sunglasses and stared at them fondly, "They're very special sunglasses."

"Thank you, Kyle." Mrs. Johnson started clapping as the rest of the class joined in.

Kyle put the sunglasses back on his face and nodded towards Mrs. Johnson, "You're welcome, ma'am." He then retook his seat a huge smile on his face.

* * *

Kyle ran to his dad's vehicle as soon as it pulled up outside. "Hi, Dad!" He put his backpack on the floor and buckled in.

Horatio reached over and ruffled his young son's hair. "Hey, Kiddo. How did show and tell go?"

Kyle shrugged, "It was alright."

"It was just alright?" Horatio asked as he pulled the vehicle into traffic. "You never did tell me what you took to show everyone."

Kyle smiled, "You've already seen it."

Horatio turned a confused look to the boy, "I have?"

"Yep." Kyle nodded. "Hey Dad?"

"Yes, Kyle?" Horatio asked trying to keep up with the change in conversation.

"Can we buy me a pair of sunglasses sometime?"

Horatio smiled. "Sure."

Kyle smiled as he turned to look at his dad, "A pair just like yours?"

Horatio laughed, "Of course." A thought suddenly struck Horatio, "Have you seen my sunglasses, Kyle?"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is definitely a little different. I have had horrible writer's block and this is what I came up with to try and break out of it. Let me know what you think. Enjoy.

* * *

After 17 hours of labor John and Julia welcomed their child into the world. A bright blue eyed boy with fiery red hair just like his fathers. John brushed Julia's sweaty hair off her forehead and smiled down at the little bundle of joy she held in her arms.

"Isn't he beautiful, John?"

"Just like his mother." John bent down and kissed Julia softly on the forehead before running a finger lightly over his son's forehead.

"What should we name him?" Julia looked towards John and smiled slightly, "John Jr.?"

John's smiled slipped slightly, "Julia there really is something I need to talk to you about." John said not sure if this was the time to finally tell Julia about his past, every time he had brought it up she had told him it didn't matter. That everyone has a past and it shouldn't be relived over and over again.

But his past wasn't the kind that could be ignored; it was catching up to him and fast.

Julia pressed a finger to John's lip and smiled. "It can wait until later, right?"

John frowned and nodded, one more night wouldn't hurt anything.

"What about Kyle after my father?" Julia suggested and smiled at the thought of it.

"Kyle." John whispered. "I like the sound of it, it's a strong name."

"Kyle." Julia repeated as she looked at down at the little boy in her arms, she smiled when he yawned. "Kyle John."

John smiled at the name Julia had suggested for the boy's middle name. "That sounds very nice, Julia."

A nurse came through the door a few seconds later, "We need to take this young man down to the nursery so mom here can get a few hours of sleep." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a bracelet that she attached to Kyle's ankle.

Julia grabbed the nurse's arm as she went to reach for Kyle, "His last name isn't Eberly." She pointed to the bracelet on her son's ankle.

The nurse smiled as she lifted Kyle into her arms, "It can be changed." She assured both parents. "The hospital just likes to have the baby's name match the mother's last name while you're here."

"That's fine." John assured Julia as they watched the nurse tuck Kyle in and prepare to take him down to the nursery.

The nurse smiled at Julia, "Now you make sure you get some rest we'll be back in a few hours to feed this little guy."

Both parents watched as the nurse wheeled their now sleeping baby out of the room before turning to look at each other.

Julia grabbed John's hand, "You should head back to the apartment and get some sleep, John."

John looked at the clock on the wall; he was surprised that it was only 7:30 in the evening. "I'm fine, Julia."

Julia rolled her eyes as she ran her hand lightly over John's. "We've been here since late last night, you need to sleep." She watched him turn and look at the couch behind him. "In a real bed."

John looked torn, but finally relented. "If you're sure?" He squeezed her hand.

"I'm sure." She smiled and then moved her hand to pull John into a kiss.

"I love you." She whispered as they broke apart.

John smiled at the woman before him, the mother of his child. " I love you too."

"You get some rest and I'll be back early in the morning."

"Goodbye John."

He smiled as he left while trying to figure out why her last words to him had seemed so final.

* * *

As soon as he arrived at the apartment the phone rang, he rushed to pick it up. "Hello?"

"Are you ready to get out of there?"

The familiar voice had John feeling both joy and unease. "Of course."

"You seem a little down. I thought after being undercover for almost a year you'd be ready to get back to your old life."

John sighed. "I am. I just have a few things to take care of."

There was a chuckle from the other end of the line. "Well who or whatever it is, wrap it up. We're pulling you out on Monday."

The line went dead and John hung up the phone, he was going to have a long conversation with Julia in the morning. He looked towards the bed and sighed, but first he was going to catch up on some much needed sleep.

* * *

John was awake and showering by 5 am the following morning, he had surprisingly slept straight through the night. He smiled to himself knowing that might not happen again for a long time with a newborn in the house.

He was on his way to the hospital by 6 and pulling into the parking lot 15 minutes later. He walked past the deserted nurse's station and walked into Julia's hospital room. He turned back around and checked the room number on the wall, "Where's Julia?" He asked one of the nurses who was changing the sheets on the bed Julia had been occupying the night before.

The nurse turned a shocked look towards John. "You're the baby's father?"

"Yes," John stepped forward suddenly alarmed. "Is he alright?"

"Yes, he's fine. He's in the nursery right now." She stepped past John, "Let me get the head nurse to talk to you." She disappeared out the door before John could respond.

He looked toward the bedside table and saw a folded piece of paper, he picked it up and read over it carefully.

_Dear John,_

_I lied to you. _

_We can't outrun our pasts. _

_I realize now that no matter how far we run they always catch up to us _

_I'm leaving to keep you and Kyle safe._

_Take care of our son._

_Tell him everyday how much I love him._

_Julia_

John dropped the paper to the floor, wondering how horrible Julia's past must be to scare her into running.

He heard the squeak of rubber shoes as two nurses returned to the room, one much older than the other and he figured that was the one he needed to speak with.

"When did she leave?"

The older woman sighed, "A nurse brought your son into the room for his 4:30 feeding and Ms. Eberly was already gone."

"Nobody saw her leave?" John asked confused, "She would have had to walk right past the nurse's station."

"There's a very light shift this early in the morning," She gave John a sad look. "It would have been easy for anyone to leave unnoticed."

John ran a hand through his thick hair, "Can I see my son?"

The nurse nodded. "Of course, follow me." They walked down the hallway towards the nursery, the nurse explaining to him all the paperwork he needed to fill out.

* * *

Later John sat in the rocking chair in the nursery, holding a now sleeping Kyle close to his chest. The nurse had given him a bottle to feed to the hungry baby and had shown him the proper way to burp him.

A young woman came in later, dressed in black dress pants and flowery top. She extended a hand to John, "I'm Nancy Colecki. The hospital administrator."

John shook her hand as she took a seat across from him.

She took a deep breath, "I'm sorry to say that before Ms. Eberly left this morning she didn't give us the father's name to put on the birth certificate or the baby's name for that matter." She nodded towards Kyle.

"Your son is listed under the name of Baby Eberly, now I would like to get all this corrected so that you can take your son home tomorrow."

"What do I need to do?" John asked quietly so as not to disturb Kyle or any of the other babies sleeping nearby.

"I need to get a blood sample from you to confirm that you are in fact the baby's father." She raised a hand to keep John from protesting, "I'm sorry, but it is hospital policy in this type of situation."

John nodded, "And after that?"

"After we confirm that he's your son, you'll be free to take him home tomorrow."

She smiled and laid a hand on John's knee. " I have no doubt that you're this little boy's father and I'm very sorry for what's happened to you, but we have to make sure."

"I understand and thank you."

Nancy sat straight up in the chair and smiled at John, "Now before I send you down to have your blood drawn I have a few questions for you, so we can get this little tyke's birth certificate finalized."

"Go ahead." John said as he continued to rock Kyle.

"We have mother's name as Julia Eberly, is that correct?"

"Yes." John nodded, at least he thought it was, he wasn't too sure anymore.

Nancy scribbled the name down on the appropriate line and looked back towards John, "Father's name?"

"J--." He caught himself before he could finish. Julia wasn't the only one with a past, he looked towards Nancy. "Horatio John Caine, ma'am."

Nancy smiled and jotted down Horatio's name. "And the baby?"

"Kyle John Caine."


	5. Chapter 5

14 year old Kyle opened the door to the Hummer his father drove for work, he slid into the backseat and greeted the two men sitting in the front.

"Hey, Dad." He nodded towards Horatio sitting in the driver's seat.

"Eric, how's it going?" He asked his father's long time friend and coworker.

Eric turned in his seat to greet the younger Caine, "Pretty good. Haven't seen you in awhile, thought maybe you'd gotten a girlfriend or something." He winked at Kyle and laughed before turning back around to face the front.

Horatio cleared his throat as he glanced back at Kyle whose face was turning a nice shade of pink, "I think he's still a little too young for that." He smiled toward Eric.

"Dad." Kyle whined from the back seat, "You have to stop treating me like I'm 4 instead of 14."

Horatio chuckled, "How was school?"

Kyle sighed. "Good. I have a lot of extra homework. Can you drop me off at the library for a few hours?"

Horatio turned his head towards Eric, "And that is why you haven't seen Kyle in awhile, he spends all his time at the library."

Eric turned back towards the young man. "The library? You go there to check out all the pretty girls, right?" Eric laughed and then easily dodged the hand that Kyle swung at him.

Kyle grinned as he rolled his eyes. "I have to keep my grades up, I want to go out for the basketball team."

Eric nodded. "That's good. You'll have to let me know when you play and I'll come watch you."

The radio broke into the conversation, "Hostile crowd forming at the corner of Sable and North Streets, Officer needs assistance."

Eric glanced towards Horatio, "That's just a few minutes away."

Horatio glanced in the rearview mirror at Kyle, "Were going to need to make a detour, son."

Kyle nodded, his eyes getting wide at the knowledge of possibly heading right into a riot.

A few minutes later they rounded the corner and found themselves staring at a rapidly growing group of men and women. The crowd was circling and yelling at the two police officers as they tried to arrest a young woman.

Kyle sucked in a breath when a bottle shattered off his window, he caught Horatio's gaze in the mirror as his dad pulled the Hummer to a stop behind the police cruiser.

"Do not leave this vehicle for any reason Kyle." Horatio stared hard at Kyle, "Do you understand?"

Kyle nodded. "Sure, Dad."

Horatio looked at Eric and then opened his door and stepped out into chaos.

As they moved towards the back of the police cruiser Horatio caught movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned just as someone came up and grabbed Eric from behind.

He watched as Eric turned around and punched the other man in the face. The man stumbled to his feet and took off into the crowd.

"You alright?" He asked Eric as the younger man slowly got to his feet.

"Yeah." He watched as Eric's eyes drifted to a spot behind him, "H!"

Horatio turned around preparing himself for a fight but we he saw made his blood run cold, "Kyle, get back in the vehicle!"

"Dad!" Kyle yelled just as two men grabbed Horatio from behind.

Eric ran toward Horatio but was knocked down just a few feet away; he struggled to get the larger man off him but wasn't having much luck.

"Get off him!" He heard someone yell before a flash of blonde flew past his face and the other guy was knocked off him.

He turned his head and watched as Kyle and the bigger man toppled to the ground, unfortunately Kyle's head connected with the bumper of the police cruiser on the way down with a sickening crack.

"Hey!" Eric was on his feet in a second as the guy rolled off Kyle and took off through the crowd. Eric came up and kneeled next to Kyle, the young blonde boy stared up at him with a dazed look. "Eric, what happened?"

Eric laid a hand gently on Kyle's chest as he tried to find Horatio, a few more police cruisers finally showed up and the angry crowd finally started to disperse. "Lay still, Kyle." He said turning his attention back to Kyle.

Kyle tried to push himself up off the ground. "Where's my dad?" He asked confused.

Eric didn't need a doctor to be able to tell that Kyle had a concussion. He glanced up again and spotted Horatio walking briskly towards them a concerned look on his face as he looked from Eric down to Kyle.

"He's coming kid." Eric patted Kyle's chest a couple of times.

"Eric, what happened?" He glanced down at Kyle and was relieved to see that his son was conscious.

"He tackled the guy that knocked me down and hit his head on the bumper, I'm pretty sure he's got a concussion, H." He watched as Horatio knelt down next to Kyle and gently ran his hand over the back of Kyle's head; he pulled his hand back when his son hissed in pain.

Horatio and Eric stared at the blood that coated Horatio's hand as it shook slightly. "We're going to need a medic over here." Horatio yelled to one of the officers that had just arrived on scene.

The officer spoke into her radio and then responded to Horatio. "They're on route, Lieutenant."

Horatio nodded and then removed his suit jacket; he folded it and placed it under Kyle's head. "Dad, what happened?"

Horatio turned a concerned look towards Eric before answering Kyle. "What happened is that you were supposed to stay in the car and you didn't."

Kyle closed his eyes and groaned as he placed a hand to his stomach, "Not feeling too good." Horatio helped him roll onto his side as he emptied the contents of his stomach onto the ground, he groaned as the pounding in his head increased and vision grew blurry again.

"Dad." He turned his gaze back to Horatio as he was gently laid back down onto the suit jacket.

Horatio blinked a few times and then cleared his throat. "Yeah, kiddo?"

"I guess this means no going to the library?"

Eric lets out a relived laughed, "After all this you're still worried about studying?"

Kyle let's a slow smile take over his face. "No, I'm going to miss all those pretty girls."

Horatio barks out a laugh as he quickly swipes a hand under his eye, "I think those pretty girls can wait for another day, son."

"H." Eric nods towards the ambulance that is coming down the street.

Horatio turns, but he can already hear the sirens as the ambulances grow closer. "Finally." He whispers.

Ten minutes later finds Kyle being loaded into the back of the ambulance." Eric, can you take the Hummer back to the lab?"

"Sure, H."

"Dad, do I really need to go to the hospital?" They hear a slightly subdued Kyle whine from inside the ambulance.

Eric laughs as he shakes his head, "Can't keep a Caine down long."

"Thanks, Eric." Horatio slaps him on the shoulder and then climbs into the back of the ambulance.

"Just another day in Miami." Eric says before turning and walking through the maze of police officers who are milling around.


	6. Chapter 6

Kyle opened his eyes and ran a hand over his face as he stared at his alarm clock, "Only 3:30." He grumbled.

He briefly wondered what could have woken him up so earlier in the morning when he heard a thump from the room next to his. His dad's office was the room next to his but he couldn't think why his dad would be up this late working in the office.

His dad had worked late that night and the neighbor that watched him sometimes had made sure he was in bed at 9:00. He had tried to tell her that 12 year olds didn't need to be in bed until at least 10 but she was having none of it.

He reached over and turned the bedside lamp on and then put his slippers on, he reached over and grabbed his robe before heading towards his bedroom door. He opened it slowly and walked down the hall a few feet, the door to his dad's office was pushed open a few inches the soft glow of the desk lamp lighting the inside of the room.

He slowly pushed open the door, "Dad?"

Horatio's glassy eyes met Kyle's. "Kyle." Horatio stood up slowly, "I'm sorry, son. Did I wake you?"

Kyle shrugged as his eyes took in the amber liquid sitting in the bottle on his father's desk, the only time he saw his father drink that stuff was when he had a bad case.

Horatio followed Kyle's gaze and he quickly hid the bottle and the glass out of sight. "You should be in bed, kiddo."

"Can't sleep." Kyle looked around his father's office, his gaze caught on the picture of the two of them on their fishing trip the previous summer.

"How about I come and sit with you for awhile?" Horatio smiled as he came around his desk and laid a hand on Kyle's shoulder leading him back towards his room.

Kyle climbed back into his bed and slid over so Horatio would have a place to sit on the side. "Did something bad happen on one of your cases?"

Horatio stared at Kyle for a long moment before nodding his head.

Kyle pulled the blanket up around himself and leaned his head on Horatio's chest, smiling when his dad put and arm around his shoulders effectively pulling him closer.

"Did someone die?" Kyle whispered.

"Kyle, you don't need to worry about these things."

Kyle sighed, "But, you worry about these things."

"It's my job, Kyle." Horatio brought up his other hand and slowly ran it through Kyle's thick hair, smiling when Kyle's eyes started to drift shut.

"Was it a kid?"

Horatio swallowed and look out the window in Kyle's room into the darkened night, trying to get the screams of the child's mother out of his head. "Yeah, Kyle it was a kid."

Kyle tightened his hold around his father, "Sometimes I don't like your job, Dad."

It was Horatio's turn to sigh. "There are times Kyle, that I don't like it either."

Horatio patted Kyle's arm. "You need to get to sleep so you're ready for your field trip tomorrow."

Kyle smiled. "To the zoo."

"Yes, to the zoo. Where you will see five legged giraffes and flying monkey's." Horatio teased.

"Dad." Kyle said as he laughed. "There's no such thing."

Horatio chuckled. "Get some sleep, Kyle." He started running his fingers through Kyle's hair again.

"I love you, Dad." Kyle laid his head on Horatio's chest and within minutes his breathing had evened out into sleep.

"I love you too, kiddo." Horatio whispered as he leaned down and kissed the top of Kyle's head.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI Miami

I wanted a short sick Kyle story and it turned into something much longer. : ) The more, the better I guess. Enjoy!

()()()()()()()()

Horatio turned the knob and pushed the front door open as he entered the darkened house, it was stuffy and smelled like sickness.

"Kyle?" He called out as he made his way towards the living room, he could hear the tv and presumed that's where Kyle was.

He entered the luxurious living room and his heart ached as he saw the figure laying sprawled out on the couch, a bucket nearby and spots on the floor where he undoubtedly had missed through the night.

Horatio approached the couch, Kyle stirred but didn't awaken. He took off his jacket and laid it across a nearby chair and then bent down and picked up the bucket, his own stomach rolling as he carried the bucket and its contents to the bathroom.

He returned with several rags as he made quick work of cleaning up the floor, he disposed of the rags in the kitchen, washed his hands and grabbed a glass of water for Kyle. He put the glass on the coffee table and took a seat on the edge of the couch.

"Kyle?" He spoke softly.

"Mmm?" The young man's eyes flickered open part way a few times, before he sighed and let them close again.

Horatio sighed. He laid his hand on Kyle's forehead not surprised to feel how warm it was, he gently ran his fingers through the blonde locks a few times.

"I'll be right back, son." He stood up and grabbed his cell phone out of his jacket pocket before heading outside to make a phone call.

He dialed the familiar number and once again got Julia's voicemail. "It's Horatio, Julia. Where are you?" He stopped to compose himself, the anger he was feeling towards his child's mother boiling close to the surface. "Kyle has been sick all night, maybe longer." He ran a hand through his hair, " I don't care how old our son is, you need to tell me before you up and leave town." He snapped the cell phone closed and slid it into his pants pocket.

When he reentered the house it was to the sound of Kyle coughing, he entered the living room at a brisk pace to find a red faced Kyle bent over the side of the couch trying to catch his breath.

Horatio grabbed the glass of water and knelt down next to his son, the boys eyes were blood shot and Horatio noticed the slight wheezing as Kyle took each breath. Kyle managed to sit up as Horatio brought the glass to his lips, "Not too fast." Kyle brought a shaky hand up and laid it over Horatio's as he took a few small sips and then pushed the glass away.

"Thanks."

Horatio cringed at the raw sound of Kyle's voice, it was little more than a whisper and rough from the coughing.

"Where's your mother, Kyle?"

Kyle's tired eyes briefly met his dad's before skirting away, "She had some business deal to take care of in the Bahamas or something," He shrugged. "I don't remember."

Horatio snorted and he blew out a long breath. "How long have you been sick?"

"Since Monday."

Horatio sighed and let his gaze drop to the floor, " It's Wednesday, Kyle." He looked up and locked eyes with Kyle, "Why didn't you call me?"

Kyle paused for a moment and then shrugged. "I didn't want to bother you."

Horatio stood up and bent over Kyle as he laid a hand on the side of Kyle's too warm face. "You're my son, that gives you the right to bother me anytime you want."

Kyle's eyes grew bright and Horatio watched his bottom lip quiver slightly, before he cleared his throat and nodded his head. "Thanks, Dad."

Horatio tapped his face a few times before stepping aside. "How about a shower?"

It was Kyle's turn to cringe. " I don't think I can make it upstairs." And Horatio suddenly remembered how shaky Kyle's hand was earlier as he tried to hold the glass of water, the poor kid had been violently sick all night.

Horatio took a seat next to Kyle, "How about we do it together?" He gently took Kyle's arm and laid it across his shoulders and then wound his own arm around his son's waist.

"Yeah, that might work." Kyle gave him a tired smile.

Horatio stood up as he held on to Kyle and they slowly maneuvered their way to the stairs. Halfway up the stairs he felt Kyle's head come to rest on his shoulder. "You still with me?"

"Mmhhm."

Horatio smiled.

"How'd you know I wasn't at school today?"

Kyle's head might have been resting on Horatio's shoulder, but he was still forced to lean close as Kyle's voice cut out completely on the last word.

Horatio sighed as they neared the top of the staircase. "The secretary at the school called me to let me know that my son hadn't shown up this morning."

"Oh, yeah."

A thought struck Horatio. "I didn't realize your mother had put me as an emergency contact."

He felt Kyle shrug. "She didn't." Kyle cleared his throat and swallowed several times. " I did." He sniffled and then sneezed, " I figured she wouldn't always be there when I needed her, and I knew that you would be."

They reached the last step, Kyle lifted his head off Horatio's shoulder and stared at his father. "And I was right."

Horatio's eyes grew bright, he blinked several times to keep the tears at bay. He pulled Kyle close for a moment, " Always, kid." He whispered before letting go. "Now, you need a shower and I need to see about getting you into the doctor."

Kyle groaned as Horatio helped him towards the bathroom.

()()()()()()()

Horatio rummaged through Kyle's clothing as he picked out something for his son to where that day and for the next couple of days that he would definitely be at Horatio's. The nurse at the doctor's office had put him on hold and he rolled his eyes as another classical song started playing.

He finished packing the bag just as the lady returned to the phone. "Mr. Caine?"

"Yes." He pressed the phone closer to his ear as the young woman continued. " The doctor will be able to see Kyle at 10:30. Will that be alright?"

Horatio checked his watch as it read 9:45. " That will be fine. Thank you."

He closed the phone and grabbed Kyle's bag and the clothes he laid out for today. The shower was still running, but he knocked and called out before entering. "I got you some clothes, Kyle." He laid them on the sink. "You almost finished?"

"Yeah." He barely heard the reply over the shower.

He nodded. " I'll be waiting in the other room."

He was sitting on a chair in the hallway, his foot tapping nervously against the expensive carpet. His phone rang and he flipped it open without looking. "Caine."

"How's Kyle doing?" Horatio heard Calleigh's concerned voice come across.

"Unfortunately, he's pretty sick." Horatio sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I'm taking him to the doctor this morning."

"The poor thing."

Horatio smiled at Calleigh's motherly concern, but he was frowning by the end of her next question. "We're you able to get a hold of Julia?"

"No." Was all Horatio said and Calleigh didn't bother asking anymore on the subject.

"I won't be in today and probably not tomorrow either." He said firmly.

"No problem, Horatio."

He could hear Eric calling Calleigh from somewhere in the background.

"Listen Horatio, I need to go. Tell Kyle I hope he's feeling better soon, and don't worry, your team can handle a few days without the boss around."

Horatio smiled. "Thanks, Calleigh."

He hung up, looked up to see Kyle standing in the doorway to the bathroom. He was breathing heavy as he leaned against the door, "I'm ready."

Horatio nodded. "Let's go." He grabbed Kyle's bag off the floor and placed an arm around his shoulders as they slowly descended the stairs.

Horatio flipped off the lights and made sure the door locked behind them.

()()()()()()()()

He pulled the Hummer into the parking lot just as Kyle let out another stream of unending hacking coughs. He laid his hand on the back of Kyle's neck and rubbed gently, waiting patiently until Kyle sat upright. "Your chest hurt?" He nodded at the way Kyle was rubbing his chest.

Kyle nodded and cleared his throat, but his voice still came out hoarse and no louder than a whisper. "My stomach too."

Horatio nodded grimly, he hated seeing his child sick. "Let's get you inside so Dr. Brown can take a look at you."

They had only been waiting a few minutes when the woman behind the desk called Kyle's name. Kyle turned to his father as Horatio stood up next to him, "You don't have to come in."

Horatio shook his head. "I'm coming."

Kyle left it at that, whether he just didn't care or was too sick to argue, Horatio wasn't sure.

After getting Kyle's weight and height the nurse led them down the hall to an empty examination room. "Take a seat and the doctor will be right with you." The nurse walked out closing the door behind her.

Kyle took a seat first and leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes he sighed heavily. Horatio took a seat next to him and waited impatiently for the doctor to arrive.

Ten minutes later there was a knock at the door and a middle aged man with dark hair walked in, he smiled at both Horatio and Kyle before taking a seat on the stool.

The doctor asked Kyle a few questions before having him step up and take a seat on the exam table. He placed the cool stethoscope against Kyle's skin, causing the younger man to jump slightly. "Take several deep breaths for me, Kyle."

Kyle did as the doctor asked, the last deep breath causing him to cough violently. The doctor walked over to the sink, grabbed a paper cup from the dispenser and filled it with water before handing it to Kyle. "Take a few sips."

He retook his seat on the stool, typed a few notes into the computer before spinning around to face father and son.

"It sounds like you have a nice case of bronchitis, Kyle."

Horatio shifted in his seat, "That cause the throwing up also?"

The doctor shook his head. "Not usually. It's most likely from the phlegm and all the coughing your son has been doing over the last 24 hours."

The doctor turned his gaze back to Kyle. "I'm going to order a chest x-ray for you, Kyle. I heard some wheezing while listening to your chest and I just want to make sure we're not dealing with pneumonia."

Kyle groaned. "Can't I just go home?" He didn't care if he was whining, he felt like crap and just wanted to lie down and go to sleep.

The doctor's gaze briefly locked with Horatio's before he smiled back at Kyle. "We can get your chest x-ray done here at the clinic. You'll be in and out and home before you know it."

The doctor took his prescription pad out of his pocket and started jotting down notes on it, he ripped off the page and handed it to Horatio. "Once we confirm that this is just bronchitis, you'll need to take that to your pharmacy and get it filled."

Horatio looked down at the chicken scratch and then raised an eyebrow at the doctor. "What is it?"

The doctor smiled. "Sorry. I've prescribed an inhaler to help open up Kyle's airways, basically everything else is over the counter." He jotted down some more notes on the back of the prescription, "Pain reliever, cough medicine." He handed the paper to Horatio, " But not too much, we want Kyle to be able to cough up the phlegm."

"Yuck." Kyle grumbled, before standing up from the table.

The doctor shook their hands. "See Lindsey at the front desk and she will get you in for your x-ray, also no returning to school this week and make sure you schedule an appointment for next week."

"I'll make sure he does that." Horatio caught the smile that lit up Kyle's face when the doctor said no returning to school. "Thank You." He said as the doctor walked out.

The smile fell off Kyle's face. "Can we just go home?"

"No." Horatio shook his head. "Sorry, son."

Horatio put his arm around Kyle's shoulder as they walked out of the office, "We're almost done."

()()()()()()

One chest x-ray later that showed no evidence of pneumonia, an appointment for the following week and a trip to the pharmacy found Horatio and Kyle pulling up to Horatio's house.

"We're here." Horatio nudged Kyle's shoulder causing the young man to slowly open his eyes and look around.

"I feel like I could sleep for a week." Kyle groaned as he opened the door and stepped out into the sunshine, any other day it would be welcomed, but today it just made him feel more uncomfortable.

Kyle followed his father into the small but elegant home and started walking toward his bedroom.

Horatio walked to the kitchen, set the inhaler and the pain reliever on the counter and poured Kyle a glass of juice. He grabbed all the items and walked towards Kyle's bedroom, when he entered Kyle was already lying under the covers.

He set the items on the night stand and then took a seat on the side of Kyle's bed. "You need to use the inhaler." Horatio handed it to him and then laid it back on the nightstand when Kyle was finished. He then handed Kyle the pills. "You probably shouldn't take those on an empty stomach." He handed Kyle the juice, "Hopefully this will help."

"Thanks." Kyle took a few sips of the juice before handing it back to Horatio.

Horatio watched as Kyle fought to keep his eyes open.

He briefly laid his hand on Kyle's forehead. "Get some sleep, son."

"You'll be here?" Kyle's eyes fluttered open briefly with the question.

"I'll be here." Horatio answered firmly.

Horatio smiled as Kyle's breathing evened out into a steady and hopefully healing sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI Miami

()()()()()()()()()()

Horatio wakes at 3am to the screaming of the two-month old laying in the crib next to his bed. He groans as he reaches a hand up and scrubs the sleep out of his eyes and then searches frantically for the lamp on the nightstand, shielding his eyes when the light clicks on.

He sits up in bed, stretches his arms towards the ceiling and tries to ignore the fact that he had only fallen asleep three hours before.

He stands up and reaches into the crib to grab is very hungry son. "You ready to eat, Kyle?"

"Shhh." He croons into the baby's ear as the cries grow louder.

Father and son make their way into the kitchen and Horatio places the bottle into the microwave for a few short seconds. When the microwave dings a few seconds later he pulls the bottle out and tests it on his arm before giving it to the very eager baby.

Horatio walks into his office, turns on the record player and takes a seat in the rocking chair as the sounds of B.B. King fill the silent room around them. He hums along to the music and to the peaceful sounds of Kyle sucking quietly on his bottle.

When Kyle's mother took off from the hospital after Kyle was born, Horatio figured it wouldn't be too big of a problem to take care of the baby. But he hadn't figured on the late nights of working and the being up all night with a hungry, cranky baby.

His eyes start to drift shut and he was jolted awake several minutes later to Kyle's whimpering. "All finished?" He asks around a yawn, and then brings the baby up to his shoulder and pats him on the back several times until he hears the anticipated burp.

"You think you might go back to sleep now?" Horatio waves his pinky in front of Kyle's little hand and smiles when his son latches on. Horatio glances at the clock on his desk and groans when he realizes he would be getting up in half an hour, "Well one of us should be getting our beauty sleep anyway." He kisses the now sleeping baby and walks back to his bedroom and lays him back into the crib. On his way to the shower he makes a detour through the kitchen to turn on the coffee pot, "I am so going to need that today." He yawns again, bumps into the counter, curses softly and just barely keeps himself from slamming the bathroom door shut behind him.

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"Something wrong, Detective?"

Horatio's eyes shoot open and he immediately sits up straight in his chair. "No, Captain." He runs a hand through his spiky red hair and gives the Captain an embarrassed look. "I was just catching up on some paperwork during my lunch hour."

The older man chuckles, "Really?" He smiles knowingly. "To me it looks like you were asleep at your desk."

"Sorry, Sir."

The Captain holds up a hand. "I've been there."

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off, go home and get some sleep, Caine."

Horatio immediately protests. "I'll be fine, Captain. I really should get caught up on this paperwork."

Horatio leans back as the Captain takes a seat on the corner of his desk. "Your partner took the day off, you're not working a case right now, and if there is one thing I've learned about this job, it's that there's always going to be paperwork."

Horatio watches the Captain stand up and head towards his office, "Go home, Detective."

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The moment Horatio enters his apartment he can hear Kyle screaming in the other room. "Isabella?" He calls out as he takes off his jacket and throws it over the back of the couch.

The nanny walks in holding Kyle close to her chest. "Mr. Caine, you are home early."

He smiles and nods at the young woman, "I got off early today." He points at Kyle, "I see my little man's not too happy."

Isabella shrugs. "I've tried everything I can think of." She shouts over Kyle's screams. "I changed him, fed and burped the little one; he does not have a temperature." She places the back of her hand against the baby's forehead to check once again. "He is just not happy."

Horatio nods, holds out his arms to take Kyle. Horatio cringes as the baby does not quiet down in his arms, if anything it seems his cries have grown louder. He waves goodbye to Isabella and paces back and forth across the living room floor several times, he brings a hand up to rub at the steadily building ache in his forehead.

He takes a seat on the couch and reaches for the remote. "How about we listen to the news for awhile?" He lies down on the couch and brings Kyle up to lay against his chest, the babies head lying right above his heart. The change is instantaneous, immediately Kyle goes from screaming to whimpering and within a few seconds the baby is yawning.

Horatio smiles and blinks several times as his eyes grow bleary. He brings his hand up and runs it through his son's short, red hair as the little one drifts off into slumber. "We're going to be ok, Kyle."

He reaches a hand back and fixes the pillow behind his head, his own eyes drifting shut as he places his hand on the baby's back, Kyle's own little fist twisted securely in his shirt. "I love you."

()()()()()()()()()()()()

Yay, for the return of CSI Miami tomorrow! And hopefully lots of father/son moments at some point.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI Miami

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Horatio reached over to the nightstand and looked at the caller ID on his cell phone. He groaned, flipped open the phone and brought it to his ear, "Horatio." He whispered, trying not to wake the person in the bed next to him.

He listened for several seconds, "I'll be right there." He flipped the phone shut and blew out a breath.

"Duty calls?" The tired feminine voiced called out from the other side of the bed.

"Sorry." He reached up and turned on the bedside lamp, and then turned on his side to face his wife Marisol.

"You sure do look pretty at three in the morning." He brought his hand over and lightly tapped his finger on the tip of her nose.

Marisol smiled, "Don't start something you can't finish Horatio Caine."

Horatio laughed and rolled towards his wife, kissing her on the lips. "Work can wait, Mrs. Caine."

Marisol pressed her finger against Horatio's lips. "No it can't." She pushed him aside. "But, I'll be here waiting when you get back." She added with a devious smile.

Horatio kissed her again, "I'm counting on it."

He slid out of the bed and walked towards the closet. "I should be back before Kyle gets up for school."

"We'll manage."

Horatio laughed. "He can be quite the handful in the morning, not wanting to get out of bed."

She watched her husband button his shirt. "Eric used to be the same way."

Horatio pulled on his jacket. "What did you do to him?"

"I grabbed him by his feet and yanked him out of bed."

"Remind me to never cross you." Horatio leaned over the bed and kissed her goodbye, "I'll call to check in, in a few hours."

"Ok, be careful." She called out as she watched him slip into his shoes and then walk out the bedroom door, she heard Kyle's door creak open and knew her husband was checking on him.

She smiled as she heard the front door open and close; she had an amazing husband and a wonderful step son that she was just starting to know.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift back to sleep.

()()()()()()()()()

Marisol's eyes shot open as she was ripped out of a sound sleep, she looked at the clock and realized she had only been back to sleep for little over an hour.

She listened for the noise that had woken her and threw back the covers when she heard a noise come from the bathroom across the hall.

"Kyle." She whispered as she put on her slippers and walked towards the bedroom door, she stepped into the hallway and could see the bathroom door wide open at the end of the hall.

"Kyle?" She called out as she got closer to the bathroom; she stopped when she heard the younger boy getting sick within the confines of the small room.

She wasn't sure if the fourteen year old would want her fussing over him, but as soon as she stepped into the doorway and saw the blonde haired boy leaning miserably over the toilet her mind was made up.

She reached into the closet to get a wash cloth as Kyle continued to get sick, "Poor thing."

She wet the cloth in the bathtub and stepped over to Kyle's side laying it gently on the back of his neck. The younger man startled slightly, "Where's my dad?" He asked as he laid his head against his arm and groaned.

Marisol laid a hand on the young boy's back. "Sorry, Honey. He got called into work."

A tear slid down Kyle's cheek and she wasn't sure if it was because the boy was feeling miserable or because he wanted his father.

"You think you're ready to get off this cold floor?"

Kyle pressed a hand against his stomach and then nodded his head. "Yeah, I think so."

Marisol helped the blonde to his feet and then reached over to flush the toilet. "Let's get you back to bed."

It took them a few minutes but she was able to get Kyle tucked back into bed, a glass of water on his night stand and a trash can next to the bed, just encase.

"You need anything else?"

Kyle yawned. "No." He watched her turn and walk towards the door, "Marisol?"

"Yes?" She smiled at her step son, the boy looked exhausted.

"Thank You."

"You're welcome. Get some sleep." She turned off the light and made her way down the hall and towards her bedroom.

She sat on the side of her bed and picked up her cell phone, she flipped it open and dialed her husband's number.

She smiled when his voice came over the line.

"Miss me already?" He teased.

"I always miss you." She could hear Eric talking in the background, probably teasing poor Calleigh about something.

Horatio cleared his throat. " I should be home in about an hour, and I can get Kyle up then."

"I don't think that will be necessary this morning."

"Why is that?" Horatio asked a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Kyle woke up a little while ago, sick."

"Is he alright?" The now concerned father asked.

The bed squeaked as Marisol resituated herself. "I think he'll be fine. I helped him back into bed and hopefully he'll sleep for awhile."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there."

She could hear the sadness and regret in her husband's voice.

"We're married now, right Horatio?"

"Yes, but you shouldn't have…"

She shushed her husband. "Your son is my son and taking care of him is a gift Horatio, not a chore."

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Marisol laughed. "I love you too."

"I'll see you soon."

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An hour later Horatio walked through the front door to his home, he took off his jacket, kicked off his shoes and made his way quietly towards Kyle's room. He pushed the door open and took in the sight of his son lying pale and restless on the bed in the room.

He took a seat on the side of the bed and gently ran his hand through the blonde's hair.

"Dad?" Kyle opened his eyes and smiled up at Horatio.

Horatio returned the smile. "Hi, I heard you weren't feeling well earlier?"

Kyle turned onto his side and frowned at the question. "Caught the flu from someone."

"From that girlfriend of yours?"

"Daaaad." Kyle whined. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"Sure, you don't." Horatio laughed and then quickly grew serious. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better." Kyle yawned, his eyelids starting to droop closed as Horatio started running his hand through his hair again.

"I'm glad you're home." Kyle reached out and patted his dad lightly on the knee, his eyes finally falling closed.

Horatio grabbed his son's hand and whispered. "Me too."

()()()()()()

Marisol stepped out of the shower, put on her bath robe and walked down the hall to check on Kyle. She peaked into the room and smiled at the scene before her.

Kyle was wrapped in his father's arms fast asleep, and her husband was also asleep, seated in a position that she was sure he would pay for later.

"My beautiful family." She whispered, closed the door and made her way towards the kitchen to start making breakfast.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own CSI Miami or Chrysler 300, but I can dream.

I thought I was done with these stories, but I felt like we needed some Horatio and Kyle bonding time. Hope you enjoy.

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Kyle bent over double as another round of hacking coughs hit him hard. He rubbed his chest and stood up slowly, the world around him spinning for a second. He took a couple of deep breaths and started slowly walking towards the front doors of the school.

He had told his mom that he didn't feel well, not that she couldn't hear it in the way he'd been hacking his lungs out every night.

All she had done was tell him that she was leaving for a _business _trip to Las Vegas, and then handed him twenty dollars to get some cold medicine.

That was two days ago and the medicine he had purchased wasn't doing anything for him.

He pushed through the doors and squinted in the bright Miami sunshine. It was late October and the temperatures were slightly cooler this time of year, but it was no match for the heat that was coming off of him.

_He was burning up. _

He knew he had a temperature, his whole body ached and he was surprised he had managed to stay awake in class today he was so tired.

He pulled the sweatshirt he had warn to school that morning up and over his head, and then bent over again as that small action caused another round of coughing.

He just needed to get to his dad; somehow he knew that the older man would make everything better.

He wished he had his license, but had only gotten as far as getting his permit.

"Harmon! What are you doing?" A hand slapped Kyle on the back, startling the blonde and causing him to start coughing again.

When Kyle finally caught his breath he stood up to find his friend, Nick standing in front of him a look of concern on the older boy's face.

Kyle ignored his question and looked at him with pleading eyes. "Can you…" His voice came out in a croak from all the coughing; he cleared his throat and tried again. "Can you give me a lift to my dad's work?"

"Yeah, sure. Come on."

A few minutes later they were climbing into Nick's Chrysler 300.

Kyle buckled his seat belt and leaned his head against the window. "This is a nice car."

"Eh, it's ok." Nick backed the car out of the parking spot and steered them to the main road. "It's my mom's old car, I'm getting a new one for Christmas."

Kyle snorted and immediately regretted it as it caused his head to ache painfully. There was a time not long ago when he would have been happy driving his foster parent's beat up Station Wagon.

"So, where does your dad work?"

He closed his eyes and pointed in the direction he thought the lab was in. "Miami Dade Crime Lab."

Nick pulled the car onto the road. "So, your dad's one of those CSI guys?"

Kyle smiled, "Something like that."

After that his breathing evened out and that was all he knew until they pulled into the parking lot twenty minutes later.

"Harmon." He felt someone poking him in the arm.

He blinked his eyes open slowly and looked around. "Are we here?"

"Yep." Nick shook his head. "You need to get some rest, you sound like crap man."

"I'll do that." He grabbed his book bag and then reached over for the door handle. "Thanks for the ride." He pushed the door open and slowly stepped out. He groaned as just stepping out of the car awakened all of his aching muscles and made him feel like he was ninety years old.

He shut the door and started trudging towards the familiar doors of the Crime Lab.

He didn't know what he expected his father to do for him; he just knew that somehow in a way that his own mother couldn't, that just being around his father would make everything better.

He rode the elevator up to his father's floor and was immediately stopped by Calleigh when he stepped out.

"Hi, Kyle."

He waived at her and wrapped his arms around himself, the air conditioning was going and instead of feeling nice after how hot he was, he was now cold and shivering.

"Hey, Calleigh." He forced a smile onto his face.

"Are you ok?" She immediately noticed something was off with the teenager.

He shrugged and then fixed the strap on his book bag as it tried to fall off his shoulder. "Not feeling too great today."

He glanced to the end of the hall where Horatio's office was. "Is my dad in?"

Calleigh gave him a concerned look. "He's actually in a meeting, but he shouldn't be too much longer." She laid a hand on Kyle's arm, immediately noticing the heat that was radiating off of him. "Why don't you come back and wait for him in his office."

"That would be good." He followed the blonde down the hall and into his father's office.

He laid his book bag on the floor next to his father's desk and took a seat on the couch; he felt a hand on his forehead and opened the eyes that he didn't remember closing.

He tried to bat her hand away, but she was having none of it.

What did his father say about Calleigh? That's right, something about her being very stubborn.

"You're burning up, Kyle." She stated in a matter of fact tone.

Something deep inside of him hurt at that comment. Why was it that someone who barely knew him could see how sick he was within a few minutes, but his own mother couldn't.

He blinked back the watery eyes and looked away. "I'm fine." But his voice cut out on the last word and he started coughing.

Calleigh shook her head. "Why don't you lie down here on the couch and I'll be back in just a minute with some water."

Kyle watched her leave as he stretched out onto the couch, he closed his eyes and was fast asleep when Calleigh returned a moment later.

Calleigh walked in with a blanket in one hand a bottle of water in the other, after seeing that Kyle was asleep she placed the bottle of water on Horatio's desk and then covered the teenager with the blanket.

She turned on Horatio's desk lamp, turned off the lights in the office and closed the door on her way out.

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Calleigh caught up to Horatio a half an hour later as he walked back to his office.

"You've got a visitor in your office."

Horatio stopped walking and looked at her. "Do you want to tell me who it is?"

"Kyle."

Horatio's eyebrows rose at hearing this. "I thought I wasn't going to see him until the end of the week."

"He's pretty sick." Calleigh shrugged at Horatio's questioning look, "I got him settled in your office for you."

"Thank you, Calleigh."

"No problem."

He watched the blonde walk back towards the elevators and then he turned and started walking more quickly to his office.

He slowly turned the knob on his office door trying to enter the small area without too much noise. He walked over to his desk, stepped around Kyle's book bag and laid the paperwork he had been working on next to his keyboard.

He took a seat in his chair and rolled it over to where Kyle lay sleeping on the couch. He ran a hand gently through his son's hair and smiled as the simple action woke Kyle from his light slumber.

Kyle's eyes became wide as he realized who was sitting in front of him and that he had also fallen asleep. He pushed the blanket down to his waist and looked up at Horatio, "Hey."

That simple word is all it took for Horatio to know that his son was sick. The word was spoken softly, cutting out slightly and with little enthusiasm. He reached up and pressed his hand against Kyle's forehead and wasn't surprised to find the heat radiating off him.

"How long have you been sick?"

Kyle shrugged as he stared down at the floor. "Couple of days."

"Have you taken anything?"

"I took some pain reliever this morning before school."

Horatio raised an eyebrow at that, and pushed the chair back so that he could search through the drawers in his desk. He grabbed a bottle of pills and shook two into his hand, noticing the bottle of water on his desk he grabbed that and rolled his way back over to Kyle.

"Take these." He unscrewed the cap and handed the items to Kyle. "Where's your mom at, Kyle?"

Kyle swallowed the pills and glanced at his father before quickly looking back to the floor. "Vegas."

He caught the angry look on the older man's face. "She tries." He felt the need to defend her, even though she had left him home alone and sick.

He honestly didn't care about that right now, he was right where he wanted to be.

Horatio sighed and shook his head; this was an argument they could have at another time.

He took a seat next to Kyle on the couch. "How about we head back to my place so that you can lie down in a real bed and then in the morning we'll take you to the doctor."

"The doctor?" Kyle groaned and shook his head.

"Yes." Horatio nodded.

"Let me shut down the computer and then we can go."

Kyle felt the couch dip down again several minutes later; he opened his eyes to see his father looking at him expectantly. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Horatio grabbed his arm and helped his son into a standing position.

"My book bag."

"I've got it." Horatio reached down and grabbed the book bag slinging it over his other shoulder.

Horatio grabbed his wallet and put it into his pocket, he grabbed his sun glasses and placed them on Kyle's face causing the teenager to smile.

"Thanks, Dad."

"No, problem." He gently squeezed Kyle's shoulder and pulled him closer to his side.

Horatio reached over and turned out the desk lamp. "Ready to go home?"

"Yes."


End file.
